MTT Jenni self-portrait before she runs her first 5K
by Jenni Turley, MTT Jenni
I walked past the magazine stand last week. I saw Life sitting front and center with a cover that boasts the “World’s Top 100 Most Influential People.” It made me ponder…Who could it be? How did they do it? And who did they influence? It also made me ponder a little deeper…Have I made a difference? Have I really influenced anyone to do anything? No, I don’t mean the world. It’s not that I don’t care about the people of the world, but have I really influenced, made a difference, in the lives of those I love the most? Now, right off the bat, I am sure my husband would say yes. He would remind me of the cooking, cleaning, sewing, chauffeuring, bill paying, party organizing, boo-boo kissing, hand holding, vacation planning, play date organizing, active sideline watching at soccer games, snuggling, and etc. that I have done over the past several years and say, without hesitation, that I have made a difference in my girls’ lives. And for some reason, that doesn’t feel like enough.
And all this pondering made me remember an article I had read at friend’s house last year. See, he was an avid runner. He’d run great distances at least 3-4 times a week and some times more. Thus, he had a subscription to Runner World. Well, I, being a huge active supporter of the couch Olympics, found this magazine to be quiet humorous, cultish even… So, I thumbed through it. Just to see if there was anything to this running stuff. And, just as I was about to close the chapter on that fleeing thought, I stumbled upon an article that has transformed me.
See, four years, three months, and fourteen days ago I lost a piece of me. And that piece started its slow, painful death just six months prior. That was the day my Grandmother, Agnes, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Six months later, after a very hard fight, she lost that battle. That was the day a piece of me was lost that I will never get back. She was more than just a little ol’ lady, she was my best friend. And now, I cannot see a pink ribbon without thinking of her.
Well, this article, Called to Action by Kristin Armstrong, really stuck with me. It talks about runners and their motivation and the stories behind us all. It talks about how runners don’t like sitting back, passively… And that is how I felt I had been for so long with my own personal feelings on cancer and what it had stolen from me…passive. I should be out there fighting as hard as I can against this ravaging disease! How dare it take something so precious, so priceless from me! So, I ran. This time, instead of running away from it, I ran towards it! Head on. I wanted to have the passion Kristin talks about in her article. I wanted to stand for something.
I participated in my first 5K without any training. This, in hind sight, probably wasn’t so bright! My time, you ask? Well, that is not important….Let’s just say, I could have been passed by little old ladies in wheelchairs. But I felt great! I finished! I actually did it! I was pumped! So, I signed up for another the month! And guess what? I finished it too! And I finished eight minutes faster than the race before! I definitely had some angels of mercy along that race. Without them, I would have sure given up. I was so proud of myself. I could not remember a day prior to that where I could say I was proud of myself. But that day I was. I cried.
Now, I want to train. I want to really be a runner with a real time I can be proud of. I want to do it because I can. I want to do it because Agnes can’t. I want to influence my girls to be fighters…to stand for something powerful. And nothing is as powerful as believing in yourself, in having passion and pride.
On Saturday, October 2, 2010, I will run in the Disney Inaugural Wine and Dine 5K. This is a huge step for me. It is definitely outside my box… However, it will give me a chance to show the world that I am here and a force to be reckoned with. It will give the motivation to train like I have never done before. It will give me a chance to influence my girls to run right into the unknown and come out victorious. That is how I want to influence the world. I want to get off the couch, get training, and rock that 5K! Who knows, maybe I will inspire my girls to run too!
Contact MTT Jenni at 678-404-2589 or jenni.turley@mousetalestravel.com to join her in the inaugural Wine & Dine 5K at Epcot! The Mouse Family will be there to cheer Jenni on and celebrate at the finish line!
You go girl! You are amazing and an inspiration!